On this website
On this page, we explain what child welfare means, what services it includes, how you can access child welfare services, and how you can submit a child welfare notification.
A child welfare notification informs a child welfare social worker of a child who may need help. Here you can find out how to make the notification and what happens afterwards.
A child or family becomes a child welfare client if the service needs assessment for families with children finds that the child or family needs child welfare services. We provide information about diverse services that we offer to child welfare clients.
The purpose of child welfare services is to protect the rights of children. Care proceedings are the last resort to secure the child’s growth and development. Here we will tell you more about care proceedings and places of care.
Child welfare after-care helps the child or young person even after the end of the child welfare client relationship. Read more about after-care here.
Would you like to become a support person for a child or young person? Would your family like to be a support family or a short-term foster family? Children need your valuable help and, by helping others, you also help yourself.
Does your family or child need help?
Your concerns may be related to stressful everyday life or troubles in parenting, for example. Please, do not hesitate to contact us.
Information elsewhere
The purpose of the Child Welfare Act is to ensure a child’s right to a safe environment, balanced and diverse development and special protection. The Omaperhe website contains more information about child welfare.
The Hyvä kysymys (‘Good Question’) online service provides young people with information and support when they have questions concerning anything and everything.
Maintained by Väestöliitto (Family Federation of Finland), Poikien Puhelin is a free telephone helpline and chat service for boys and young men between 13 and 19 years of age. You can talk to an expert about anything that is on your mind or worries you.
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The family counselling clinic, home services for families with children, couples therapy, and other services will help when you are in need of support in your family’s everyday life or find yourself in a straining situation.
If you are concerned or frightened by your own behaviour or that of a family member, you should seek help.
Going through a separation is often complicated, and you may feel unsure about what to do next. It is a good idea to seek outside professional help at some point during your separation.
You can contact us at a low threshold when you are in need of help with upbringing issues, parenting challenges or straining daily life. You need not know in advance what kind of help your family would benefit from.
If your family is in a seriously straining life situation and you think that your child and family are in need of support, contact the service needs assessment unit for families with children in your area.
The lastensuojelu.info website provides basic information on services for families with children in Finland in several languages. The website is aimed specifically at immigrant parents and professionals who work with them.
You can also find this page at hel.fi/child-welfare-services.